By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday stressed collective action to safeguard the planet.
The Chairman in his message on World Environment Day 2024 stressed the importance of proactive measures in climate adaptation and mitigation for national resilience.
Gilani extended his gratitude and commendation to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their leadership in hosting this year’s celebrations, and for their efforts to advance land restoration, combat desertification, and enhance drought resilience.
Gilani reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges through initiatives like the Living Indus Initiative, Recharge Pakistan, and the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk reduction initiatives which aimed to restore the ecological health of the Indus River basin, crucial to our population and economy.
The Chairman urged the nation to enhance environmental stewardship by joining hands in addressing the challenges being faced to build a sustainable future.
Earlier, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam on Tuesday emphasised that the government was committed to ecosystem restoration and protect the environment for future generations. She was addressing the seminar as chief guest by National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Bahria University (BU), to commemorate World Environment Day, a news release said.
Romina Khurshid Alam insisted on the significance of environment day and steps taken by government of Pakistan for ecosystem restoration. The event brought together eminent government officials, environmental experts, activists, and students to address pressing environmental issues facing Pakistan’s coastal communities. The guests included Norwegian Ambassador Per Albert Ilsaas, Sri Lankan Minister A.Christy
Ruban, Farzana Altaf Shah, DG Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Amb.
Nafees Zakarya, Executive Director COMSATS, Gauhar Zahid Malik, President &
Executive Editor at Pakistan Observer and Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, WWF-Pakistan’s
representative. The theme of the seminar was “Coastal Erosion Management, Mangroves
Preservation & Ecosystem Rehabilitation” under the overall United Nation’s theme of
“Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”. Eminent speakers and
scholars highlighted the importance of environment day and need to protect the nature from the adverse effects of climate change. Students from renowned universities participated in the Policy & Scientific Solution Competition.
At the end winning students received their trophies.
